SAN ANTONIO ? Bill Parcells knows he must do three things to have a winning football team: Collect good players, whip them into great shape, then pick the best 53 and maximize their strengths.

“Any one of the three things goes wrong,” the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys said, “and you’re going to suffer.”

Six months into the job, Parcells is pleased with how the first two phases have gone.

He likes the free agents Dallas has signed and the rookies they drafted, and he’s proud of the dedication players have shown in the weight room and to their waistline.

That was the easy part. The hard stuff begins today, when training camp opens and Parcells’ attention shifts squarely to No. 3 on his list.

He said Friday his top priority — and “probably my most difficult thing to do” — is setting the 53-man roster. He’s mainly looking for the 20 best players on each side of the ball, then will use the rest of the slots as a work in progress, probably throughout the season.

“We’re going to be on a constant vigil … to look under every rock we can find to find one more player who can help us,” Parcells said during a wide-ranging, hourlong news conference. “That includes young players, veteran players — anyone who may be able to, either longterm or temporarily, help us restore this to what we want.”

Restoration is Parcells’ specialty. He’s been with three previous organizations, taking over each time after a losing season.

Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, right, listens as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks at a news conference. The two met the press Friday in San Antonio, the day before Dallas opens training camp.

All three made the playoffs in his second season and eventually won the Super Bowl or got within a game of the championship.

Dallas is coming off three straight 5-11 seasons and hasn’t won a playoff game since 1996, the year after its last Super Bowl win. That long dry spell convinced Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to break his mold of hiring first-time coaches and instead turn to a proven winner.

“Bill is here to teach — hopefully for a long time — and to develop a winning atmosphere in our locker room,” Jones said. “We didn’t enter into this partnership for a quick fix.”

There’s a lot to be repaired, starting at quarterback and running back.

Troy Hambrick is the favorite to replace Emmitt Smith as the featured ballcarrier. The quarterback battle is more open. Chad Hutchinson and Quincy Carter are the front-runners, but Parcells refuses to rule out third-stringer Clint Stoerner or undrafted rookie Tony Romo.

Parcells hopes to name a starting QB before leaving San Antonio Aug. 19. He also expects to break camp having an idea of how good the team can be.

“That’s really my challenge, to get the team directed properly so they can play to their potential,” he said.